Strategies of social partners to address quality of work in the services in Europe

WALQING Conference: “Addressing quality of work in Europe”, Sofia

19-20 of September 2012Dr. Vassil Kirov, ISSK-BAS

vassil.kirov@gmail.com

Structure

• The project WALQING and the stakeholders’ research in the low-wage sectors (cleaning, contract catering, elderly care, construction and waste)

• Mapping the sectors and their development (spatial reorganisation, internatinalisation, etc.)

• Representation and social partnership

• Stakeholders initiatives

• Conclusions and policy implications

1. WALQING research

— National sectoral analyses – in 11 countries and EU level (around 130 interviews)

— Case studies in progress in 11 countries – 55 Cases, more than 500 interviews (results very soon, December 2012)

— Stakeholders’ seminars, held in Brussels, Barcelona and Vienna in the autumn of 2011

— National reports – see walqing Social Partnership Series (http://www.walqing.eu/index.php?id=64)

— Integrated reports(http://www.walqing.eu/index.php?id=38)

Waste collection on a Greek Island…

Quality of work (Holman, D. 2012)

Area of Job Quality Dimension

A. Work Quality 1. Work organisation

B. Employment Quality 2. Wages and payment

system

3. Security and flexibility

A. Empowerment Quality 4. Skills and

development

5. Engagement and

representation

2. Mapping the sectors and their spatial reorganisation

- The processes of outsourcing in the ‘anchored’ services, the role of public procurement and contract awarding;

- Work on client’s site, separation of employment/control (double hierarchy, Moreno, 2011)

- Generalisation of triangular relations in services (E. Martinez 2010) - cleaning, private security , Hotels, Retail trade, care…

- But also multiple processes shaping the sectors and impacting quality of work – EU regulation, clients, internationalisation…

3. Representation and voice

• Stakeholders in many of the examined sectors are generally less structured and less strong compared to the industry

• Sectors are complex and involving multiplicity of actors…

• Collective bargaining is present in some cases (not always meaningful), absent in other…

School Canteen in Bulgaria

Some data about coverage – example from the contract catering…

Country /2007-2008

Trade unions Trade unon density (domain) (%)

Employer organisations

Employer organisations density (companies/domain) (%)

Collective bargaining coverage (%)

DE NGG 3 DEHOGAVIC

n.a.n.a.

25

ES FECOHT-CCOOFETCHTJ-UGTUSOELALAB

5.8n.a.n.a.n.a.n.a.

FEHRCEHATFEADRS

n.a.n.a.n.a.

100

HU VISZ 18–21 VIMOSZ 0.8 100

LT -- -- -- -- 0

UK GMBUniteUSDAW

2.37.51.4

BHA 13 <5

An example of a complex situation - the case of the waste sector

Companies Unions

Traditional municipal Public sector, municipal

Traditional private sector (B2B, construction, logistics …)

Private sector (manufacturing, construction, transport ….)

More or less privatised utilities (MNCs, regional, local players)

Large, merged unions

Hybrids: PPPs Large merged unions (coordination across departments)

Somewhere in Bulgaria

Situating the social partnership – the case of waste

Sectoral P

artnership

Company level Partnership

BU

DK

ATIT

Stakeholders addressing quality of work… - initiatives and collective responses …

• Quality of work is addressed through multitude of initiatives, however their overall efficiency is to be questioned

• Collective bargaining at the sectoral level in connection with firms…

• Client as a target - Impact impacting quality of work through the role of the client and the awarding…

• Corporate social responsibility…

But difficulties to represent some groups…

• Spatial problems – e.g. in the cleaning where employees working at the client’s premises.

• Language problems – e.g. it is difficult to reach some vulnerable groups e.g. immigrants/ethnic minorities because of language problems.

Stakeholders’ initiatives Sector/Initiative

Cleaning

Contract Catering

Waste Collection

Elderly Care

Construction

The collective bargaining: –generalisation of the CLA

NO, SP I – wages NO, HU (but is it meaningful?)

Stabilising employment in case of transfers – BE, SP

BE, SP SP DK

Addressing quality of work through the contract awarding process –

EU guides, observatories, good practices… - I, Germany (campaign)

DK – lobbying for longer contracts…, H&S issues

DK, LT

Stakeholders’ initiatives - 2

Sector/Initiative

Cleaning Contract Catering

Waste Collection

Elderly Care

Construction

Professionalisation of the sector

upskilling and certification - NO, SP

mobility still possible and recognition of existing skills…

BUT perception of generic low-skill sector, AT!I, DK

DK (and upward mobility…), GE

EU (joint projects), BE, BU, NO…

Stakeholders’ initiatives - 3

Sector/Initiative

Cleaning Contract Catering

Waste Collection

Elderly Care

Construction

Addressing working time –

Promoting daytime work and more favourable for employees schedules – AT, BE

Working time arrangement – e.g. reorganisation of working-time by means of technological change (e.g. the cold line in Spain), GE

Preventing working shorter - Working longer? DK

Lobbying for standards to address workloads

AT, FI

Stakeholders’ initiatives - 4Sector/Initiative Cleaning Contract

CateringWaste Collection

Elderly Care

Construction

Combating illegal labour:

Labour inspectorate approved identity cards - NO

Labour inspectorate approved identity cards – NO; BU – joint inspections

CSR and company specific initiatives - NE

NE HU (keeping employment), F

Health and Safety Initiatives

NO, S EU – e.g. food hygiene…

DK (at some cost for workers)

NO (Regional Rep), BE, BU (but limited…)

Stakeholders’ initiatives - 5Sector/Initiative Cleaning Contract

CateringWaste Collection

Elderly Care

Construction

Analyzing the sector and describing good or bad practices –

BE, SP

Integrating vulnerable groups

through social economy – SP

Handicapped emplyees - F

B -Roma in Bulgaria, I

Social Economy – I(but in contradiction with work amelioration)

Combating abuses - BE

BE

Stakeholders’ initiatives - 6Sector/Initiative

Cleaning Contract Catering

Waste Collection

Elderly Care

Construction

Working for the better image

AT, SP

Joint Institutions

Work environment council - DK

NO, BE… (but lack in CEEC..)

Acting at workplaces

DK

Situating the stakeholders’ initiatives – the case of waste

Sectoral P

artnership

Company level Partnership

BU

DK

ATITWages

Transfers

Workplace

Skills…

Vulnerable

Contextualising stakeholders’ initiatives

• Countries with stronger (in terms of resources) ‘stakeholders’ – more active…

• Some of the examined initiatives have large impact on the employees, other on specific groups

• Some initiatives are joint, other are launched by individual social partners…

5. Conclusions

—Spatial reorganisation of ‘anchored’ services is followed by different negative consequences on quality of work

—Voices in the examined sectors are weak but existing, some initiatives of social partners offer space for action and quality of work improvement.

The future? Somewhere in Denmark

Some challenges for stakeholders

• Involvement of clients and impact of public procurement/contract awarding on the quality of work – what answers at policy level?

• Voice of employees – legislation, tradition, innovation

• Role of the social partners in skills development and H&S – e.g. identifying needs, preparing programmes…

• CSR – how to participate in order to accompany efforts of companies to integrate particular groups?

• Workplace initiatives and innovations?

Thank you and watch this space:www.walqing.eu